Keeper of His Heart
by Sombereyes
Summary: He couldn't stay as merely a child forever, but was he growing up too fast? -A simple little fluffy one shot, with Livi and Nike.-


A/N: I know a lot of people have been asking where the Mai HiME updates are to some of my stories, and I do have some of those headed your way. That being said, this anime NEEDs fans, and it's sad that there's hardly any fan fiction for it. I honestly hope we get to see more from the series, because it's cute for what it is, and was very enjoyable.

I don't own Still the World Is Beautiful.

**Keeper of His Heart**

Nature dictated that one day, he would become a man. He knew this, just as he knew that the sun would rise and set within a predetermined amount of time. It was unchanging, and true to his predictions as well as his expectations. So without any question in his mind, he knew, that he would one day understand the needs only a man could have.

He would see the world, as only a proper king would.

Still, as far as his memory served him, his boyhood dreams left him before they could even begin. In his youth, he dreamed of taking his mother and fleeing away from the castle, and thusly, his responsibilities. He dreamed of a happy place, one unlike any other. Where the acceptance of others came willingly, not forcefully. He wanted little more than a simple life of freedom, and happiness.

As a small child, that faint hope died along with his mother, and he knew he'd changed because of it.

He'd endeavored to grow up before his time, taking on burdens he was not ready to lift the weight of. He became a king hell bent on owning the world, and, in doing so, he lost his path. He was no longer the gentle boy his mother knew, and, at that time, he was no longer the person he really wanted himself to be. Not exactly a shadow of his former image, but rather, haunted by the shadows he could no longer see.

So, being the king that he was, he ordered for a wife to be sent to him from a far off land. In doing so, he made what he had first thought to be the biggest, if not the most confusing mistake of his life. Perhaps it was his youthfulness, his childlike heart beating with fear…maybe it was just because the woman that had been sent, while young and beautiful, was still indeed a woman.

She was not a mere child, like him.

That was a fact that stuck with him, because even in his youthful, jaded eyes, she was a woman. However, to his dismay, he was not by any means a man. She gave him hell, a good dose of it coupled with every demand that she denied, and like the boy that he was at first, there was no greater misdeed in his mind, than to defy him. A truly spoiled brat, perhaps, but, he was indeed still the king.

She was inferior in many ways, and even the noblemen and the church made note of that. So, why did he keep a woman such as that around?

Now that he was a little older, and a little wiser, the answer was clear to him. He was sure that she had given him a small droplet of happiness every time she spoke. He was positive that her songs uplifted him, and so, as he sat on his throne now, gazing at the young woman who tended to the flowers outside, he could only shake his head, angry at himself…and at this confusing time in his life.

He was trapped, caught between the boy he once was, and the man he knew he would one day be.

Hellish adolescence has grasped him tightly, and no matter what he tried to do, it would not release him from its lustful grasp. His mind did terrible things to him, made him dream of her, and her unquestionable beauty. "She's always trouble in one form or another." He lamented to himself even though one of his personal servants could hear him plainly. "Nike doesn't see that, but, she is."

The servant only nodded and smiled, filling his master's tea. "She's a free spirit, always has been. It's just her way, sir."

The king nodded, and stood, concluding that he was done with all of the ceremony for today. "Have dinner prepared a little later than usual. I'm going for a stroll." He no sooner said this, as he marched himself down long strings of lavished corridors and outside to one of the gardens. There, he saw the woman of his affections basking in the sun near the fountain. "Nike, you're avoiding your lessons today, aren't you?" He murmured with an upraised eyebrow.

She held out her hand to greet him, pulling him into an embrace as her soft laugh filled his ears. "So what if I am?" She asked, all too willing to conspire against the stifling duties of castle life. "It isn't as if they can scold me, I'll just go hide someplace else then. They know that worries you..."

He shivered and licked his lips, a deep blush coming to his face as he swallowed hard. "It's not a problem." He said, aloofly cutting off any further contact as he backed away just a bit. "I was just wondering."

Nike noticed his withdraw, and licked her lips. "Livi." She said his name slowly, wanting to reach out to him, and yet, having no idea just how to do that. "It's okay, you know." He'd been avoiding her recently, and she drew her knees up to her chest, her toes letting droplets of water fall back into the fountain she was sitting by. "You don't need to be so shy."

"I'm not shy." He muttered, still refusing to look into those stunning green eyes of hers. "I'm the furthest thing away from shy."

"What are you then?" She asked him, reaching for his hand in hopes that it would settle him.

The question made him feel like he was set aflame. His cheeks rosy red from the answers he would not say. "Don't worry about it." He grumbled, praying that if he kept brushing her aside, she would stop asking such things. Somehow he doubted that she would just let the matter drop, and yet even so, he clung to that one hope.

Enough was finally enough.

"Livi!" She yelled, both in frustration and confusion. She couldn't take it anymore, and put her arms around him, forcing the lad to sit on her lap. He was growing taller, so such a feat was becoming difficult, but for the time being, she found it entirely plausible. "What's been going on with you?" She asked him as he slumped against her, unwilling to fight away her embrace.

"It's nothing, Nike." He said, trying to force a smile onto his face that simply wouldn't come.

"You're avoiding me, even now, you struggle to even look me in the eyes." Nike said simply. "We haven't slept in the same bed in weeks, and you've been hiding away in that study of yours more often than not. You've been moody too." She shook her head. The person she loved seemed to be acting strangely, and so help her, she was going to get to the bottom of it. "You can talk to me."

Could he?

He wondered about that, as her chin rested upon his shoulder, her gentle voice begging him to understand her needs. He could tell, she was lonely, and had been waiting for him to snap out of whatever was bothering him. True to her nature, she was trying to both push him out of his comfort zone, and drag him into something he knew was safe and secure. She was starting to see him as the man in her life, her _lover_, as odd as the title was for a person such as himself.

He would have to trust her, there was no other way.

"Nike, I'm fine." His mouth felt dry, his tongue as that of sand paper upon the roof of his mouth. "It's just that, I want to be with you."

Such an admission pulled another laugh from her, and the heated air tickled his ears, the pleasant waft of her voice seemed so beautiful and perfect. "You are with me." She told him with a true and perfect innocence.

He wondered if her thoughts ever took a turn for the lewd, but knew better than that. He turned to look at her, realizing that someplace in his heart, he was still intimidated by her simple acceptance and easygoing gentleness. He wanted to kiss her, push her down into the grass, and take her lips as his own, and ravish her…then, maybe she would understand. Still, as he put his hand to her face, he could still only manage to cup her cheek with a trembling hand. "Yeah, I guess I am." He said then, the nervous fluttering in his heart getting the better of him.

One look into his eyes, and she could see his torment. Her age was enough ahead of him that she could tell the hints of longing that were in his eyes. For every hopeful glimmer, there was an equal amount of bashfulness. She smiled softly to him, as she put one hand over his own, leaning into the caress. "Livi, don't grow up too fast." She murmured heatedly. "If you do, you'll lose that gentle boyish heart again. That's the thing I fell in love with the most."

He shook his head. "You'll keep it safe."


End file.
